Of Gallantry, Guilt, and Grace

Chapter 1

Actor stood precariously on the running board of the supply truck. He had one arm around the wind wing support and held a schmeisser in the other hand. His eyes searched ahead for Terry. She had taken off on an angle from him, so they should be coming up on her soon. As the truck rounded a curve, he spotted her down the road coming out of the bar ditch. Garrison took the schmeisser in through the open window. Both men grinned as the girl stuck her thumb out in a hitching gesture.

Holding onto the door frame, Actor reached out and down as Casino slowed the vehicle but did not stop. He caught Terry's up stretched arm and hauled her up as she leapt for the running board. The narrow step and momentum of the vehicle had her reaching an arm around him which afforded him a brief tight hug as she gained her balance. A big grin echoed his.

"Going my way?" cracked Terry.

"Sure," replied Actor. "Need a lift?"

"I think I just got one, thank you."

Craig handed the gun back out between them. Terry faced outward, left hand holding onto the wind wing support. Actor stood beside her, left hand holding the upper frame and right arm with the gun across the front of the girl.

Casino, doing the driving, hollered past Garrison to Actor, "You just pick up women anywhere, don't yuh."

Garrison cracked a grin at Casino, "That's no woman, that's my sister."

"Go chase yourself," said Terry, gleefully.

Their levity was short-lived as gunfire erupted from the back of the truck. Terry popped her head around Actor to see two German open cars and two motorcycles in pursuit, firing on the truck.

"Two and two," she called to Craig.

Casino sped up. As they rounded a curve, they spotted a roadblock up ahead.

"What'd'yuh want I should do?" questioned Casino.

"Run it," barked Garrison.

Actor swung around Terry, pressing her hard against the truck door and shielding her with his body. His right arm extended to fire the machine gun one handed. He felt the girl's arm snake around his waist and grab a hold of his belt. Casino drove hanging out the window, steering with his right hand and firing with his left. Garrison, blocked on both sides, could only sit and watch.

As they crashed through the barrier, Actor felt an explosion of pain in his chest, slamming him into the woman, before everything went black. His arm dropped, and the gun fell from limp fingers.

Terry screamed. From then, things seemed to progress in slow motion. She let go of the support and flung her other arm around the man's waist. He was dead weight and pulling them both off the truck. The clear thought crossed Terry's mind if Actor was going down, then she was going with him. Craig twisted in the seat, arms flashing out to grab anything. He by some miracle caught Terry's belt and jerked her hard against the open window. Reaching as best he could, he got a precarious hold of Actor's shirt.

Every muscle in Terry's body strained to keep a hold of the unconscious man. He was taller than her by a good seven inches and outweighed her by at least 60 pounds. Casino could not stop because of the pursuing soldiers. They drove for another mile. The strain was becoming too much for Terry.

"Craig, I can't hold him much longer," she cried.

Just then the shooting stopped, followed by an explosion as the last German vehicle crashed into a tree. Casino slowed and eased the truck onto the shoulder, afraid of throwing the two off the running board if he stopped too suddenly.

"Chief!" screamed Terry.

Casino was out the door and around the front as Chief sprinted from the back of the truck.

"Let go," commanded Casino.

Terry released her hold on Actor and the two men caught him and eased him to the ground.

"Terry!" shouted Casino in alarm.

She followed his gaze. Her shirt was soaked in blood. "Not mine, his," she said.

Terry leapt to the ground. Craig came around the front of the truck. Goniff was leaning around the canvas back of the truck, alternately watching what was happening and watching the road behind them for more Jerries.

Chief was knelt beside Actor, feeling for a carotid pulse. "He's alive."

"Get him in the back of the truck," said Craig urgently. "We have to get out of here."

Casino and Chief picked Actor up and carried him to the back of the truck. Goniff had the tailgate down for them to load him in. He took one look at the unconscious, bloody man and stifled a groan.

Craig grabbed Terry's arm. "Are you okay?"

Terry nodded. She looked at her brother in anguish. "Craig!"

"I know, Hon," said Garrison. "Go help him."

"Get us to that plane!"

She sprinted to the back of the truck. Casino grabbed her by the hips and practically threw her inside. She fell to her knees beside Actor. Goniff slid the first aid kit to her and Chief knelt on the opposite side of the downed man. The truck started off.

Terry helped Chief pull the shirt from the waistband of Actor's pants and rip it open. He was still unconscious, breathing shallow and ragged. She noted the unevenness of his chest movements as he breathed. Peeling the soggy material back revealed a sucking hole in Actor's right rib cage. Terry gasped. She slapped a hand tight over the wound, holding it as Chief turned him to his side and back.

"No exit wound," he said.

"Oh, damn!" swore Terry.

She grabbed wads of gauze out of the kit and covered the wound. It was still bleeding profusely. Terry took Chief's hand and pressed it over the gauze. Ripping tape with her teeth, she sealed the dressing on, placing Chief's hand back over the injury. Terry moved the duffle bags against the side of the truck and propped herself up against them.

"Bring him up on top of me," she instructed. "I need his head up and that wound where I can reach it. I need to keep pressure on it and I can't do that well enough bouncing around on my knees next to him."

Chief and Goniff moved the tall man so he rested on top of Terry. She tucked his head to rest against her left cheek, right hand pressing firmly on the dressing. Goniff looked at the con man with wide eyes while Chief took up the watch out the back.

"How bad is it?" asked Goniff. There was more blood on the man and girl than he had seen before on anybody who wasn't dead.

"Real bad. That bullet is in there somewhere and wherever it is isn't good. His lung is collapsed. And he's bleeding bad."

Goniff's eyes flashed between her and Actor. "Is 'e gonna make it?"

Terry's brows crinkled in anguish. "I don't know."

Goniff wished he hadn't asked.

"What happened?" called back Chief.

Terry shook her head. "We were coming up on the roadblock. He put himself in front of me and he caught the bullet instead of me."

The ride seemed endless. In spots, the road was very rough, and Terry tried to brace the injured man as best she could. He still did not regain consciousness. After a particularly hard jolt, eliciting a groan from Actor, Terry lost her control.

"Damn it, Casino!" she yelled. "Do you have to hit every pothole in Germany?"

Chief moved to her side and touched her shoulder. "Easy, Girl," he said. "You want me to do this for a while?"

"No," she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm just so . . .so . . ."

"Scared?"

Terry looked at him. "Terrified."

It took two more hours to reach the plane that would take them back to England. Actor's skin color had a bluish tinge around his mouth.

They pulled to a stop in a field. The sound of plane engines was loud. Chief and Goniff went over the tailgate and dropped to the ground. Working quickly, they unchained the latches on either side and dropped the tailgate. Two men from the aircraft shoved a stretcher across the floor toward the girl and injured man. The men climbed in and carefully removed the man from atop the girl.

Terry let the men load Actor onto a stretcher and take him to the plane. She could barely move to get off the floor of the truck. Crawling to get out, she found Joe Gallagher waiting for her. His eyes widened at the bloody clothes she wore as she jumped to the ground.

"It's not mine."

Joe grabbed her arm and ran with her to the plane.

"I need oxygen for him, Joe," said Terry.

"When we get in the air."

Inside the plane, Actor was laying on the floor and the others were sitting on the benches that lined the sides of the plane. Craig was on the floor at Actor's head. Everyone looked to Terry. She pushed the duffle bags against the seat along one wall.

"Same as before."

She sat on the floor, partially reclined against the duffle bags and held her arms out, looking at the men for help.

"You can't do this for two more hours," said Craig, gently.

"Yes, I can," replied Terry stubbornly, as they settled Actor against her. She looked at her brother. "He took a bullet for me, I can do this for him."

Once airborne, the radio man brought out an oxygen tank and set up a mask for Terry to hold to Actor's face. Craig brought over a new first aid kit. He piled up more gauze dressings. The ones on Actor were saturated and Terry's hand had blood running down between her fingers. She let go long enough for Craig to add the new gauze and returned to applying pressure to the wound with one hand and holding the mask to Actor's face with the other. The siblings communicated to each other with their eyes. They both knew this could easily have a very bad ending. Neither was ready for that to happen. Craig rubbed Terry's shoulder and took a seat on the opposite bench.

About an hour and a half into the flight, Actor's eyelids flickered slightly. His mind surfaced to an ocean of pain in his chest and the inability to get enough air. Unable to open his eyes yet, he heard the roar of plane engines and registered the nauseating smell of aviation fuel that threatened to upheave his stomach. The vibration of the floor enhanced the agony in his chest. It took him a moment to realize he was leaning against Teresa. His eyes fluttered open and he looked up at her. She was trying unsuccessfully to smile at him.

"Teresa?" Actor whispered raggedly.

Her face turned to his ear and he heard her whisper, "Hush, caro. Save your breath. Just keep breathing."

Breathing had become the worst thing in the world, second only to the excruciating fire in his body. He raised his hand clumsily to pull hers with the oxygen mask away. "No." He had to know, but he had to rest between words, his face contorted with pain.

Craig was the only one to see the movement and watched from where he was.

"Ter-e-sa?" Actor's voice was as ragged as his breath and barely audible. "Are - - you - - hurt?"

Terry moved the mask closer to him. "No, not a scratch," she reassured him.

Grazie Dio, he thought. At least he had managed to protect her. "Good," he replied. He stopped talking to breath and tried to gather himself. He felt her cheek rubbing against his forehead.

"Hush now," she whispered. "We're almost to England. Just hang on."

It was just too hard. He did not want to leave her, but he could no longer fight this. It was time to let go. "No good," whispered Actor.

"Don't you die on me, Actor," hissed Terry tearfully. "If you die, I will never ever forgive myself."

He did not want to cause her this kind of pain but going on was just too difficult. Easier to let go and stop his pain. Actor gave a tiny shake of his head, closing his eyes.

Terry looked up at her brother with swimming eyes. "Craig?" she pleaded.

Garrison knelt beside Actor. This got the attention of the others. They watched from where they were. All three were suddenly afraid.

"He's wanting to die on me," said Terry, tearfully, in a low voice.

Fingers touched Actor's chin and gently turned his head. He opened his eyes to look into Garrison's shiny ones.

"Hang on, Actor. Please. We need you. We can't do this without you."

"Yes – you can," came the ragged breathless voice with a small quirk of the corner of the con man's mouth. He had taught them well; both Garrisons.

"No," whispered Craig, forcefully. "We need you. I need you. Terry needs you. And if you die it will kill her."

Merde! The Warden knew how to put that responsibility on his shoulders. Why couldn't they just let him go? Terry's cheek rubbed hot wet tears against his forehead. He knew the girl well enough to know she would go to her grave feeling she had caused his death. The younger man was right and was playing the ace card.

"Damn - - you - - Craig." Actor shut his eyes and grimaced as turbulence tore even more pain through him.

"Please, caro," begged Teresa. "Please stay with us. We're almost home. We can get you fixed. Don't make me bury you."

They weren't going to let him go. He couldn't do it. He couldn't let them down, especially his Teresa. Actor opened his eyes and moved them between the two siblings. "I . . . will . . . try."

He heard Teresa let out the ragged breath she had been holding. Garrison's hand cupped the back of his neck. At that moment, the plane bucked with more turbulence. It forced the air out of Actor's lungs with a groan and he sank limply into the blackness.

Terry looked at Craig, terrified. His fingers quickly searched for and found a weak pulse.

"Is 'e dead?" asked a Cockney voice in dread.

"No," replied Craig. "I have a pulse, but it's not much of a one."

The tone of the plane's engines changed pitch. Terry looked sharply at her brother. "We're slowing down."

"Must be coming in."

Terry looked at Casino. "Are we still over water?"

He looked out the window. "Yeah."

"One of you, get Joe!" ordered Terry.

Chief jumped to do as she bid. A moment later Gallagher came over to squat next to the Garrisons.

Terry looked askance at him. "Joe, I know you can do it because I've flown with you before. Please, Joe, bring this bird in hot."

Gallagher looked sharply at his two friends and down at the still figure of the man in Terry's arms. "It's that bad?"

"It's down to minutes, maybe seconds," replied Terry, eyes anxious. "Please, Joe," she begged.

Gallagher looked at Craig and the same look was in the brother's eyes. He sighed. "You got it." He stood and turned back to the cockpit, yelling to Bishop. The engines powered back up. Climbing back into his seat, Gallagher looked at the questioning eyes of his co-pilot. He called the control tower. "Archbury, we're coming in hot. We need an ambulance and Doc Kaiser on the runway."

The landing was rough. Thankfully, Actor did not regain consciousness. Terry would be bruised for weeks. When the plane came to a halt, the gruff Major entered. He squatted next to the girl and the injured man. Doing a quick assessment, he did not like what he was finding.

Terry was more in control now and tried to go into nurse mode. "Large caliber bullet to the chest. It's still in there. Sucking wound. Major blood loss. I think the whole right lung is collapsed."

Major Kaiser looked at the man and wondered how on earth he could still be alive.

Actor was transported quickly to the base hospital. Terry rode in the back of the ambulance with him, a hand on his chest to make sure he was still breathing. She kept close to him as he was moved from the stretcher onto a gurney.

Kaiser was issuing orders quickly and firmly. The urgency of the matter was seen in the hurried movements of the surgical team and the seriousness on their faces. Terry followed them into the room where they were getting Actor ready. Two nurses were starting intravenouses and putting tubes in orifices. Terry stood in a corner, eyes on the cardiac monitor that was showing his slightly irregular heartbeat. She knew he was still at risk of dying and she was not going to allow that to happen without being there.

"Terry, out!" ordered Kaiser walking in to do a more thorough assessment of the man.

"No," said the girl firmly.

"I don't have time for this," barked the doctor. "You are not going in to surgery and I want you out of the way."

It wasn't in Actor's best interest for her to fight with the Major over this right now. Instead, she pushed out the door and into the hall where her brother and the other men were.

A few minutes later, Actor was pushed out of the room on the gurney.

"A moment . . . please?" Terry begged the nurses.

They stopped and the girl went to bend her head down so her lips were beside Actor's ear. "Ti amo amore mio," she whispered in his ear.

As she straightened and stepped back, Kaiser came out of the room. He blew up. "Garrison, take your sister and your men and get out of here! We'll take care of him from here!"

Terry straightened and glared in defiance. In a cold hard voice she said, "I'm not leaving. And I will take down anybody who tries to make me."

Joe Gallagher walked up at the last part. He shook his head at Kaiser. "She will too." Kaiser looked askance at Gallagher. "She's staying," he ordered.

Without a word, Kaiser turned and went through to double doors to the operating room.

Craig didn't like it, but he knew when not to press the issue. "We'll go," he said. "Just let us know what happens."

Gallagher nodded. He stepped up beside Terry and said quietly, "Come on. You can wait in the waiting room. You can see the OR door from there. Kit's got clothes here. I'll bring you some."

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